


Shining Light

by KazueEmiko



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Assassination, Assassination Attempt(s), Attempted Murder, Blood, Blood and Gore, Comfort/Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Implied/Referenced Torture, Murder, Pre-Time Skip, Spoilers, Teacher-Student Relationship, Unresolved Emotional Tension, how many ways can i tag this as angst?, rated M just in case about the violence, well spoilers for edelgard's past and background, yep too many times
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-13
Updated: 2019-08-13
Packaged: 2020-08-20 23:53:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,680
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20236441
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KazueEmiko/pseuds/KazueEmiko
Summary: Edelgard was and is always shackled down by her fate. No matter how much she tugged and pulled, the ruthless captors continue to pull her deeper into the darkness. Just when it all seems hopeless, a shining light breaks through the bleak landscape.





	Shining Light

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to tackle Edelgard's inner demon with fate, so I decided to give it a go! She's always kept a strong facade... but her history tells her otherwise. I pulled parts of my past experiences and wrote the best I can about the student's mental health and struggles through metaphorical symbols. Hope you enjoyed it! I really had fun writing this piece. :)

Edelgard was always strapped down by the chains of fate.

Ever since she was born in the House of Hresvelg, there had been nothing but misfortune that was bestowed.

At the tender age of nine, she and her mother, Patricia, were exiled and taken away by her uncle, Lord Volkhard von Arundel to Fhirdiad in the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus. Patricia had vanished during most of her life. Edelgard had lived with her uncle as her mother married King Lambert. She hardly remembered the warmth of her mother. There was also Dimitri, but the two had not known they were stepsiblings until years later. It was already too late with this knowledge as Edelgard was forced to return to the Adrestian Empire with her uncle.

Patricia never came with her, and Edelgard secretly resented her. Why did she marry King Lambert? What about her father, the current emperor of the Adrestian Empire? Why wasn’t she coming with Edelgard? Did she do something wrong? Did she… did she replace her with Dimitri…? The grudge against her mother intensified the moment Edelgard stepped back onto her homeland.

Daughter of Ionius IX, she bore the minor Crest of Seiros, unlike her ten other siblings. That wasn’t enough for Those Who Slither in the Dark. Thrown into the basement, the eleven feared for their lives as Crest experimentations were conducted. The days felt like months, and the months felt like years. The scalpels that broke through their epidermis, the forceful implantations of foreign blood, the lack of sympathy, the poor living condition littered with rodents and insects, the chains that held them down as lab rats… Madness and death consumed everyone around her.

Edelgard survived… but at what cost? She had lost all her siblings to living Hell. She received the Crest of Flames after the final implantation, but her body took on a massive toll. She has a shortened lifespan and her natural hair color reduced to whiteness like a sheet of paper. The innocence she’s had as a child bled out in a similar fashion as she had bled.

After all of that, the worst was over, right?

Wrong. Fate was much crueler than she anticipated. No matter how much she ran free, these chains would yank her back into the abyss. She would scream, wail, clawing at the black, empty space until her nails cracked and tore. Edelgard would pull and tug at the deathly cold captors. These metallic bondages melded into her wrists and ankles. The times she was let loose simply made the bands invisible. It was an illusion of the freedom she yearns for. No matter how much she struggled, it would always drag her back to an invisible wall, her limbs modeled after the letter T.

The 18-year-old woman was like a dog on a leash. Fate was her master, and she was its pet.

That is until she met Byleth.

“Ouch! That hurts!”

Edelgard tensed her shoulders as the alcohol brushed over her fresh wounds. The half-naked student was seen sitting on the edge of the mattress in her dormitory room, the professor in tank top also sitting cross-legged from behind. A small, damp towel splotched with crimson tenderly pat and rub the surrounding gash.

There was a pause. Byleth glanced over Edelgard’s shoulder. Not a single trace of emotion leaked out of those brick-like features. One might wonder if she feels anything. Of course, beneath the sturdy exterior, there was a hurricane wreaking havoc. It took all her might to quell the inner monster. The corner of Byleth’s lips remained firm as her hand moved again.

“Sorry.”

Despite the apology, the professor continued to press upon the surrounding skin. This led Edelgard to lean forward slightly with a frown. Then, her lips parted.

“…I should’ve been quicker.”

Today’s mission was a complete disaster.

The Black Eagles went out for practical training in the woods earlier this morning. They were going to hunt after some wild creatures, but nothing beyond that. Ferdinand would strengthen his bond with his horse. Bernadetta would practice shooting at live, moving targets. Petra would learn how to blend with her surroundings in varying circumstances. Dorothea would gain further insight into using magic. Hubert would learn how to cast a more powerful version of his dark spells. Caspar would increase his stamina by practicing martial arts in the midst of wildlife. Lindhardt would conduct new white magic spells and cast them on his classmates. Edelgard would practice wielding the Levin Sword.

Byleth watched from afar in the dense field. Aside from her students actively partaking in their activities, Sothis appeared by her side. An occasional, playful spat sparked between the two as her students doubled down on their training regiments.

Everything was according to plan. However, none of them predicted the appearance of assassins. It was all too sudden. Byleth watched in pure horror as her students were cut down. Blood soaked their school uniform, their cries pierced the blue sky, and their counterattacks were met with sturdy resistance. The professor was the only one who was able to knock the black cloaks away with a swipe of her Sword of Creator.

Byleth’s breaths were labored. It was already bad enough to lose one student. To lose the rest of Black Eagles, though? Her heart pounds recklessly against her chest, her limbs involuntarily shaking, and fleeting shivers whipped through her. She slowly scanned her surroundings. Ferdinand and his horse were plopped on the side after a sword lashed out at them. Hubert was on his back after a dagger rammed into his chest. Berandetta’s neck was torn apart from the implanted handaxe. Caspar was punctured with multiple arrow tips into his back. Petra curled into a fetal position due to a powerful thunder spell cast upon her abdomen. Dorothea was planted face-first from a club’s impact against her skull. Lindhardt foamed from the mouth, his wide eyes strikingly red from the poison. Byleth profusely sweat and felt like her spirit was watching everything from a third-person perspective. It was mortifying.

“El… El…!” Her pupils contracted. Edelgard was down on her knees, a wicked lance plunged into her exposed neck. Its exiting tip dripped of her crimson color. Byleth stared at her lover’s unnaturally raised head. The shock wasn’t written on the girl’s features. It was an instantaneous blow. At least the grim reaper whisked her away faster than the speed of light. The blade in Byleth’s grasp trembled violently as she felt the calling of her girlfriend booming. “EL!”

This was the first time Byleth had ever felt seething rage. She was never this furious in all 21 years of her life. Not even her time as a mercenary would subject the female to this type of emotion. It had to be because death was granted to one of two people she dearly loves: Jeralt and Edelgard.

“This is terrible! Do something, Byleth!” Sothis bellowed from inside her head. “Use it!”

Had it not been for the petite woman, Byleth might have passed out instead. She gritted her teeth and focused on the potent skill.

The Divine Pulse was a god send from Sothis.

Time reverted back to the beginning of their training session. Byleth found herself blinking rapidly as she walked alongside her students. Caspar and Lindhardt continued to joke with each other from the front of the group. Hubert and Bernadetta cautiously kept their distance from the bunch. Dorothea, Petra, and Ferdinand engaged in mini lessons about Fodlan’s language. Edelgard walked alongside with their teacher. There was even the occasional side glance and brushing of their hands. That tickled the noble’s cheeks pink. However, Byleth’s exhale shook in response.

It was as if nothing had happened, and it needs to stay that way.

“We need to turn back around,” she blurted. That froze everyone in their spot. All eyes were pointed at the older female. “It’s dangerous.”

“Dangerous?” Hubert’s gaze bore into Byleth. “Are you suggesting that you were about to kill us?”

He was half right. Byleth was about to bring them into a trap she had not known about. Before the Divine Pulse usage, she witnessed their horrific demise. She can’t have that happen. Not again. Instead of directly answering the male’s question, she motioned her open hands and ushered the students in the opposite direction. The bland, stoic features only hardened despite her cheeky attitude.

“Don’t be silly. I know there is a better training field than the ones we are about to go to.”

Mumbles and risen shoulders were prominent in the class. That was an abrupt decision made by the teal-haired. One moment, they were heading deeper into the woods. The next, they were coerced into leaving the premise. Regardless, they heeded to her words. There was no use in arguing with their teacher. Byleth knew what was best for them.

They all did a 180 with Byleth walking from behind the rest of the Black Eagles. The lively personality stirred once more as they headed to a new direction set forth by the female.

“You did the right thing,” Sothis planted her bare feet to the grassy ground. She took a few steps, hands behind her back, and cocked her head to the side. Without looking at her host, she faintly smiled. “I wouldn’t know what to do with you if they were to die.”

Sothis proceeded to walk on ahead with the rest of the students. Even though Byleth was the only person who could sense her, it was always amusing to see the short woman blend in with the other students.

_‘ It would be problematic… ‘_

Especially when it came to Edelgard.

The professor slowed her pace to an eventual stop. Everyone had moved onward but her. She glanced over her shoulder, and her eyes narrowed. Byleth was right to move them away from the woods. Peering from the depths of the bushes and trees were hidden assassins. Many of them possess lethal weapons where a single use would severe a person’s lifeline.

Today, she had saved their lives. Unfortunately, Byleth was a little careless. One of the assassins snuck past her line of sight. The man had slid the dagger out of its case from behind his waist in a fluid motion. When the professor reverted her attention back to the group, she felt her blood freeze. An assassin cloaked in black crouched like a fearsome tiger. His eyes were preying on none other than Edelgard.

_‘ The Divine Pulse! ‘_

It was an ability that can only be used once per day.

_‘ I can’t use the Divine Pulse anymore! ‘_

Bad luck, she already used it for today.

Byleth kicked up dirt and bits of torn grass as she ran towards the assaulter. She placed a hand on her sword’s handle. The man continued to inch closer to Edelgard from the shadows.

Byleth took two huge steps forward. Hubert, who stood near Edelgard, widen his eyes at the sight of the silent warrior.

Byleth took another two steps forward. The assassin twirled the short blade in his grip. He straightened his posture and raised it high up in the air.

Byleth needed four more steps to reach Edelgard. Beads of sweat rolled down the side of her face as she mustered every fiber of her being. As much as she wishes to use the whip-like feature of the weapon, it would cause unnecessary collateral damage. (The last thing she would want is to smack the deadly edges on her students.) The professor quickly unsheathed the relic.

“Edelgard!”

She, Hubert, Dorothea, and Ferdinand all cried out at the same time. Byleth had successfully lunged her entire body at their direction. She skidded in-between her enemy and allies. Her wrist twisted as the tip of the Sword of Creator aimed upward at the man’s blade. She just had to knock it out of his hands. Victory would be a given afterward.

Or so she thought.

The assassin intentionally dropped his dagger. That caused Byleth’s sword to swish at the empty air. He grinned underneath his mask and caught the weapon. There was no need for flair when the enemy only had to jut his hand forward.

Byleth may have gotten out of the enemy’s trap, but that didn’t mean she won’t fall into the next one. Its blade jammed right into Byleth’s abdomen. The light armor that she had underneath her academic attire should have deflected the pierce. Unfortunately, it shredded right through it all, both steel and chainmail.

“…”

It didn’t hurt at first. Upon observation, the blade seared deep into the tissue and broke into the muscles. Its hilt rested right above her epidermis. The relic slipped out of her hands. Byleth glanced downward and instinctively used both hands to hover above the punctured area. A moist ripping sound accompanied the following action. The man had dragged the serrated edges horizontally until it exited out of her left side. He showed no hesitation in tearing the short blade out of her figure. An explosion of pain blew up. It hurt so bad, she could hardly decipher the landscape that strobed in and out of focus. Byleth eventually doubled over and fell to her side.

“BYLETH!”

Edelgard was the first to scream out her name. Their mentor’s hues became glossy as her attire stained from the newly-form pool of blood. She felt dizzy and nauseous. Edelgard’s tears sprouted forth without warning and streamed down her cheeks. Her vision was colored in red. In retaliation, the white-haired pulled out her Levin Sword. The assassin wasted no time in waiting for his prey to complete her action. He stepped on the professor as a stool and launched himself at Edelgard, his blood-stained blade shone from the sun’s rays.

“Die!” he hollered.

The man was fast. Hubert tried to step in front of her as a shield, but his princess shoved him to the side with a sweep of her other arm. She shot dagger-like glares at the assassin. The Levin Sword’s patterned blade was brought up to the sky. Not even a second passed by when the man’s strangled outcry broke from his voice box. Thunder struck his entire being from the heavens above. Yet that didn’t stop the dagger from plunging into her. It may have missed its original target, but it doesn’t mean the impact of the assault lessened.

Pain sheeted through her shoulder with a terrible intensity. Although a stab was avoided, her flesh wound oozed with blood from the slash. Edelgard instantly dropped the jagged blade and grabbed ahold of her injury. From the stinging sensation alone, it felt deep. It would be a surprise if the strike missed her vital nerves. Her brows scrunched as Hubert picked up the dead foe and tossed him to the side with a grunt.

“Lady Edelgard—”

“If only I had been faster, this wouldn’t have happened.”

Lindhardt was seen casting as much healing spells as possible on their teacher. Since he was a budding white magus, his skills barely provided the necessary first aid. He was barely able to do any more than mend the disheveled muscles. That frustrated him to no end. Dorothea and Caspar assisted in his endeavors to restore life into their professor. One laid the professor’s head on their lap, and one held her wrist, index and middle finger pressed for vitals. As for the rest of the class, they were only able to watch from afar.

Blood continued to trickle past her digits as Edelgard applied pressure onto the gash. She had already lost her siblings. She might have lost her mother too. What’s next, losing Byleth? She glared at the fallen assassin with tear-stricken expression.

Those invisible chains that bind to her wrists and ankles were beginning to tug. It was unnoticeable at first. Edelgard bit the bottom of her lip. She fully understood the value of sacrifice. Another tug from her chilling captors. However, what she wanted best was for there to be none. The final tug sent her spiraling downward into the depths of nothingness once again.

The poor student scrambled out of the dark landscape. Tears acted as torrential downpours as she riled against the bondages. Screams and wails echoed into the bleak surroundings, her isolation confirmed. This was happening all over again. The freedom that fate exposed her to was nothing more than a fleeting illusion. There was nothing she could do. If only she had protected herself… if only she had pushed away Byleth… if only she had been more careful…

“…There was nothing you can do about it.”

Edelgard’s mind snapped back to the present. Her furrowed brows eased themselves as Byleth tucked the gauze’s end into the wrapped shoulder. Treatment was complete. This prompted the older woman to ease the youngster into a casual buttoned shirt. As Edelgard’s arms slipped through its sleeves, she mumbled,

“You know, you should’ve been more careful, Professor.”

“…”

Edelgard hadn’t fallen far into the bleak abyss. It was already a miracle that Byleth survived the ordeal. No— It was more than a miracle. The incident occurred today, yet the instructor was able to recover enough to tend to Edelgard.

Everyone had originally presumed Lindhardt’s consistent Heal significantly improved its strength with each cast. Lindhardt and Edelgard had their doubts. He had only learned the spell in less than a week. There must have been some unknown variable that sealed Byleth’s deadly gash to mere scar tissues.

Little did they know that it was all thanks to Sothis. The immense power that had been withheld granted another chance at life. That didn’t come for free, though. The green-haired gave Byleth the scolding of her life as they were given first aid and returned to the monastery. More scolding came from Jeralt, Manuela, and even Rhea when they took a step into the infirmary. Byleth felt like this was never going to end.

At least the two afflicted females sustained nothing more than moderate damage. Manuela provided the necessary instructions to prevent infection after their same-day discharge. They were told to stay put in the monastery. Not like they had anything to do for today and Sunday. Hence, it led Byleth to invite the wounded Edelgard into her private quarter.

“…I’ll try.”

“It would kill me if you were to actually die.”

Byleth’s eyes crinkled from the corner.

“That won’t happen.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yes. I am alive right now.”

“…how could you say that?” Edelgard carefully turned around to meet her lover. “How could you say that with a straight face? You were almost killed— Wait— is that… a smile?”

“Maybe.”

That caused the noble to lightly scoff. “I hope you understand that this is no joking matter.” Sometimes, Byleth’s unnecessary social commentary downplayed the seriousness.

The corner of her lips curved downward. Without warning, Edelgard reached out to touch Byleth. A startled jolt zipped past the teacher’s spine from contact. Edelgard’s warm palm planted on the cool cotton of her tank top, its heat seeping past the barrier. Her fingertips soon brushed upon the rough, white material that peeked from under the fabric. She left her hand there and spoke with a contrasting soft voice.

“…does it hurt?”

“No,” Byleth shook her head. “It aches a bit, though.”

Byleth took Edelgard’s hand and brought it up to her lips. The ex-mercenary gently kissed Edelgard’s knuckles as she longed for her girlfriend’s alluring eyes.

It was typical of Edelgard to act like a mother hen. Despite her demeanor as a strict, calculating house leader that borders a dictator, the female is nothing more than a young woman who cares deeply about her companions. Byleth can somewhat empathize the inner turmoil Edelgard faced from this morning. The only difference was the scenarios’ results. Byleth’s thumb smoothed the back of her girlfriend’s hand.

“I’m not going anywhere.”

“…are you sure?”

She nodded. There was a small pause until Edelgard lowered her head and trembled.

“I wouldn’t know what to do if I had lost you,” she whispered. Edelgard leaned forward and rested her forehead against Byleth’s chest. She closed her eyes, her voice soft, almost fragile as if her heart would break any minute. “Without you, I would be lost.”

Byleth tilted her head. Then, the professor slowly embraced the young lady and brought her close. “I don’t know what I would do either if I were to lose you, El.”

They eventually shifted position to lay down. Byleth allowed one arm to be a pillow as the other hand soothingly scratched Edelgard’s back. A content hum slipped out of the noble, her face buried in Byleth’s breasts and her legs hugging one of Byleth’s. She deeply inhaled her girlfriend’s scent. The heat temporarily blossomed on Byleth’s chest as the student exhaled through her nose. This was lulling her to an early sleep.

From the distance, it looks as though Byleth is the mother and Edelgard is the child. The white-haired might get mocked for acting this way. However, she didn’t care. She was here, alive, with the very person she loves from the bottom of her heart, who was also alive.

“You mean everything to me. I will fight the whole world if it means making you happy.” Her professor kissed her head. “And I will never leave you alone in this world.”

There was a bright light that illuminates the shadows. Edelgard raised her arms to shield the piercing rays. The blackness that once terrorized the female to her core slithered away from a lone woman. Gentle warmth enveloped her entire being as the chains that shackled her to a pre-conceived destiny eroded into fine dust. When she lowered her arms, she met her professor. Byleth stood in front of the fatigued student. She extended her hand with a smile. It was as if the teal-haired was a goddess manifested into a mortal. Edelgard blinked back her tears, her hand reached out for her girlfriend.

The 18-year-old woman was like a dog on a leash. Fate was her master, and she was its pet.

That is until she met Byleth.


End file.
